New Device Allows Clinicians to Safely Monitor Older Adults with COVID-19

Clinicians from McLean Hospital's Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers have remotely monitored a person with COVID-19 using a device that wirelessly tracks respiration, movement, and sleep patterns, reports Newswise . The "Emerald" device has been employed in multiple hospitals and senior care communities, including with a COVID-19 patient at Heritage Assisted Living in Boston's Framingham suburb. Emerald analyzes wireless signals in the environment, and employs artificial intelligence to collect the various metrics. "Emerald may offer us a way to track respiratory symptoms as well as behavioral symptoms simultaneously and remotely," said McLean Hospital's Ipsit Vahia. Emerald noninvasively monitors the subject's health and sends that data to Vahia at his home, where he can remotely observe progress by studying information like breathing and walking speed. "It's clear that, with these high-risk seniors, they would greatly benefit from us being able to passively gather medical data over time when it is not possible to meet with each person directly," said Heritage Assisted Living's William McGrory. MIT's Dina Katabi added that remote-sensing devices like Emerald could help to expand healthcare capacity by triaging less severe cases and monitoring them at home.